Book list

Books with a touch of magic

Magic comes in a range of strengths. There are a lot of books around like Harry
Potter for those of you who want something similar.

If you are an older reader and you enjoy stories of magic and fantasy but
would like to see a more serious treatment of the battle of good against evil
than Harry Potter, or if you prefer your wizards to be a bit more awesome than
Professor Dumbledore, then you might like to have a look further down the list.
You might also like to look at my articles: 'The battle of good against evil' and 'The power of naming'.

Clary’s mother disappears. Clary is attacked by demons. Why are demons interested in Clary and her mother? How did Clary suddenly get the Sight? How did Clary get mixed up in this otherwordly adventure?

Seventeen year old Micah escapes poverty for a life of freedom and adventure out on the great wyrmeweald. He dreams of returning with a great fortune but life changes people. Will he know his fortune when he finds it? And will he still want it?

It's literally a battle against time, where the Resistors fight to keep time ticking, and the terrible Harsh fight to turn the clock back to primal solitude. Owen discovers he has a role to play in the fight, like his father before him...

Graham Sinclair, BOY HERO, hits the headlines and needs a support team to help him cope. Unfortunately he's not very good at choosing, perhaps because nobody's ever treated him properly, on account of his deformed hands.

'We, Cosmo Hill, are the world's only Supernaturalists.'Cosmo grinned weakly. 'What? You don't like clothes?''That's naturists, Cosmo. And nobody does that any more, not with the ozone layer spread thinner than cling film. We call ourselves Supernaturalists because we hunt supernatural creatures.'

Wayward Crown Prince Pyrgus of the faerie realm, up against the evil fairies of the night, finds himself suddenly whisked off to the Analogue World, where he's supposed to lie low for a while . . . But he doesn't.

Gudrun has left the Jarlshold and returned to the land of the Snow-Walkers in the far north, beyond all natural knowledge. But she cannot leave Kari alone. She sends a rune-beast to fetch him, and doesn't care how many of the Jarl's people perish in the encounter.

A Viking mix of magic and superstition, courage and loyalty. A battle between Gudrun the sorceress, and Kari, the son who she disowned. Can Kari's powers possibly match those of his mother? And does he have to follow her evil path?

He thinks he's an elf, but the Tribe don't want him. He's a liability. His fangs haven't grown. His voice is ugly. He's losing his sharp eyesight and hearing. Where can he go where he will be safe, and where does he belong?

It's a town eat town world. The great traction city of London is prowling round the Great Hunting Ground looking for prey. But, if London hopes to use re-created weapons of mass destruction in its bid for superiority, then London must expect to have enemies - Tom, Third Class Apprentice of the Guild of Historians, and the dreadfully disfigured Hester Shaw, for a start . . .

The Fellowship of the Ring is broken and the nine companions scatter. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas follow the trail of Merry and Pippin, who are carried off by orcs, and they play their part in the battle against the Dark Shadow. Meanwhile Frodo and Sam must find a way into Mordor . . .

Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged a Ring of Power, by which he could enslave all the free peoples of the world. Read how the Ring came to be lost and found again, and fell into the unlikely hands of Frodo Baggins, hobbit of the Shire. What will he do with it?

When the last tiger left the circus his spirit stayed behind. Now, on the last day, when the very canvas of the tent is thin and frayed and starting to tear, who is strong and brave enough to lead the tiger back to the forest?

Kenelm is sent on a quest for help from the Wood-People and when he meets the terrifying and beautiful Wolf-Sisters he is faced with the choice between obedience to his King and the liberty that he yearns for.

Lyra's friend Roger is abducted by the Gobblers and Lyra sets out on a determined rescue mission across the frozen wastes. But the Gobblers are much more terrifying than anyone could imagine. The first part of His Dark Materials trilogy.

'Damaged' children escaping from the council home are cast ashore after a rough raft ride onto the oozing mud of The Middens. But who on earth is that living in the abandoned warehouse, and do they really dig up a saint out of the mud?